Fluid operated vibrating or pulsating machine



June 26, 1945. R. BURT 2,378,979

FLUID OPERATED VIBRATING OR PULSATING MACHINE Filed May 25, 1941 Gttorneg Patented June 26, 1945 Fries FLUID OPERATED VBRATING R PULSATING MACHINE y Ralph Burt, Homer City, Pa., assignor to Syntron Company, Homer City, Pa., a corporation ol Delaware Application May 23, 1941, Serial No. 394,845

4 Claims.

The present inventonrelates to fluid operated vibratory trough conveyors, vibratory screens, and the like.

It heretofore has been proposed to operate conveyors, screens, etc. by unbalanced rotating weights, or electromagnetic vibratory motors. However` such devices have the disadvantage that the period or frequency of vibration is xed and when the point of synchronism of the electromechanical forcesis reached the apparatus becomes exceedingly sensitive and erratic in operation. Furthermore, there are installations where the use of electricity is not permitted because of fire or explosion hazard, and accordingly only the'mechanically operated devices with the attendant wear of bearings, long power transmission shafts, belts, etc. can be employed. Such devices have not. in general proved 4very satisfactory as they require considerable maintenance expense and frequent repair.

Accordingly. it is an object of the present invention to provide a uid operated vibratory conveyor apparatus that may be directly operated by fluid under pressure.

Another object is the provision of va fluid operated vibratory conveyor apparatus having an adjustable stroke and period of vibration.

A further object is the provision of a fluid opervibratory conveyors heretofore used. When electric` motor or magnetic devices of this type are to be used in explosivev atmospheres such as encountered in gun powder manufacturing, .oil refineries, aluminum manufacture, powdered coal atmosphere, etc.,- they must be made explosion proof, which 'is relatively expensive construction, whereas, with my device no electricity.

in section of a preferred embodiment.

ated vibratory conveyor apparatus which is relatively simple in construction and can be employed for heavy duty.

Still another Objectis the provision of a fluid operated vibratory conveyor apparatus which is positive in operation and is rugged enough to4 be employed for a large variety of applications.

In accordance with the present invention, I provide a vibratory conveyor apparatus having a chamber in which a vpressure responsive element is located, such as, for example, a bellows, or flexible diaphragm, and is connected to a control valve through a yieldable or resilient linkage composed of an inherently resilient solid member of rubber or the like, whereby the control valve may move with a `lagging or snap action to control the period and stroke of the pressure responsive element. The vibration of the pressure responsive element may be employed for useful work by connecting a table, trough or screen thereto, or the casing providing the pressure chamber may be connected thereto to produce vibratory motion by the reaction forces. For example, when connected to a trough supported by inclined supports, a vibratory conveyor is produced having many advantages over the electrically operated or mechanically operated Referring to the drawing, the motor comprises a cylindrical housing |46 having an inlet Ul! and an outlet bore M2 surrounded by a valve seat surface |63. A cylindrical guide member |64 is secured to the housing M6 by screws |65 and has a central bore m6 which receives the guide stem |61 of a tapered valve member |116. The guide member is counterbored at its ends, as indicated at |6| and |62 to provide a web |53 and a plurality of bores |66 pass through the web |63 to connect bores |5| and |62 and thus allow flow of fluid from chamber M6 when the valve is open. Any suitable form of valve may be employed.

A clevis |56 has its end |51 threaded into the valve |48 and locked in position by a lock nut |58. A sleeve |6| contains a grommet or bushing |62 of rubber or other suitable `inherently resilient material which in turn has a sleeve |63 therein, and a bolt |66 passes through the olevis |56 and sleeve |63 to secure sleeve I6! thereto.'

A screwed rod |66 is suitably secured to sleeve 6 as by welding, and passes through a plate |66 and .diaphragm |61 and is threaded into block |68, and a spacer tube |1|V is interposed between block |69 and plate |66. Diaphragm |61, which may be made of any suitable exible material, such as corrugated metal, sheet rubber, fabric reenforced rubber, synthetic rubber substitute, or the like, is clamped to the periphery of casing |40 by a ring |69 and bolts |10to provide a working chamber on one side thereof.

A bar |12 is clamped to block |68 by a plate |16` and screws |14 and at its lower end carries a flexible spring strap |15 suitably secured thereto at one end |16 and bolted to the base |11 at its other end |18. The base |1'l rests on vibratory members |19 of suitable construction, as for example, rubber. 'I'he bar |12 at its upper end carries one end of a exible spring strap |8|. the

conveyor trough |82, as indicated at |88. 4The housing |48 is securedto the base |11 in vany suitable manner. The front end of the conveyor trough pr table |82 is supported for vibration, preferably by inclined bar or leaf springs in such manner as to provide vertical and horizontal components of movement of the trough. As shown, the base |11 has two inclined flanges |85 to which are secured two hexagonal bars |88 by nuts |81. The opposite ends of bars |88 are reduced and threaded to receive spacer nuts |88 yupon which rest spring clips |88 held thereon by lock nuts |8|. Horizontal bar or leaf springs |82 rest in the spring clips and are b1- furcated at their ends. An extension plate |83 is suitably secured to the trough |82 and is clamped to the springs |82 at their middle by a vbar |84 and bolts |88. Thus, the springs |82 lsupport and guide the front end of the trough |82. The inlet line |4| may have a throttle valve |88 and a water pressure regulator |88 therein.

The period of vibration of the trough |82 at a givenA water pressure is determined partly by its mass Aand partly bythe bias of springs |82.` 'I'he period of vibration thus may be varied by adjusting nuts |88 and |8|.

In operation, water enters the working chamber through inlet |4| and exerts a pressure on the diaphragm |81. The outward movement of diaphragm |81 tendsto move valve |48 of! of its seat, butthe rubber grommet |82 yields and allows a certain movement of the diaphragm before this occurs. 'I'he areavvof diaphragm |81 is greater than the area of the valve |48. At the certain vibration ofthe base which th same time that iiuid pressure is moving the diaphragm it is also acting to hold valve |48 on its seat until iinally the movement of the diaphragm has deformed the rubber grommet |82 sumeient to cause they valve to lift of! its seat. thus opening outlet |42 to relieve the pressure in the working -chamber and allow the grommet to assume its normal shape. 'I'he iiow of fluid through the valve opening reduces the pressure in the working chamber and by its dynamic action as it ows past the valve. tends to force the valve back to its seat and closes the valve. The closing of the valve allows the pressure in the working chamber to build up and again move the diaphragm, thus repeating the cycle of operation and causing the diaphragm to vibrate. The vibration of bar |12 secured to the diaphragm is .transmitted through iiexible strap |8|` to the conveyor trough to cause it to vibrate.

`'Ihe other end of bar |12 is secured to the base set |11 through flexible strap |18 so as to varying these factors or the pressure or flow of the fluid supplied to the motor. Preferably I employ a water pressure regulator |88 of known construction to maintain a constant inlet supply pressure, andV I control the operation of the motor by a throttle valve |88 on the inlet side.

What I claim asmy invention and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In a vibrating apparatus, the combination of a base, a material-handling member to be vibrated, resilient means carried by the base tol support said member for vibration, a spring strap connected at one end to the base, a second spring strap connected at one end to said member, a bar secured to both spring straps adjacent their free ends, and motor means to vibrate the bar and cause the member to vibrate through the second spring strap.

2. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the bar and spring straps are secured to the base and the member to be vibrated in such manner as to place an initial load on the resilient means supporting said member.

3. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the bar is disposed substantially normal to the longitudinal axes of the spring straps and the latter are Vsecured to the ends of the bar.

4. In a vibrating apparatus, the combination of a base, a conveyor, means to resiliently support the conveyor including a leaf-spring mount# ed with its longitudinal axis in a horizontal plane and disposed at right angles to the travel of the material on the lconveyor and its transverse axis at an angle inclined tothe conveyor, a pair of spring straps one connected to the base and the other connected to the conveyor' with their free ends projecting outwardly in the same direction, a bar secured to both spring straps adjacent the free ends of the latter, and motor means to vibrate the bar and causethe conveyor to vibrate horizontally with a vertical component of motion.

RALPH Boar. 

